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Hi! This will be our 1st trip to Nova Scotia. We are going in August for a week with our 10 yr old dgt. We love history, natural beauty & are avid photographers. We are from North NJ (30 minutes from NYC)& plan to fly to a major city then rent a car. Suggestions for our dgt, best places to visit to learn the cultural history & best scenic routes would be greatly appreciated. Berhang family.

Hi Berhang family, one of the top destinations looking at your desires should be the upper Bay of Fundy, with the destination of Advocate Harbour. Advocate includes the picturesque areas of Cape d'Or, Cape Chignecto and the fishing village of Advocate Harbour. To take a look at another photographers take on Cape d'Or check http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=66822

For cultural history, Advocate Harbour is one of the oldest Acadian founded villages in Nova Scotia. You can still walk the dykes where the remains of the original Acadian dykes still exist. The village and places like Cape d'Or were named by Champlain back in 1605-6. After the expulsion of the Acadians starting in 1755 the village was settled by Loyalists and Planters, to today where the fishing village still retains the history of those early settlers in the remaining families. During the "age of sail" this was a busy place, both in trade and shipbuilding. All gone now but the age of sail museum is a interesting place to check out. www.ageofsailmuseum.ca Just up the road is the UNESCO site Joggins Fossil Institute see www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net

The area is mainly known for its breathtaking natural beauty and outdoor adventures, with some of the best walks and hikes in eastern Canada at Cape Chignecto Park see www.capechignecto.net Its probably the least "touristy" area in the province, which is wonderful since the outdoors and crowds of people dont go together well! Part of the reason for the very few people on the trails or beaches is that there are thankfully very few accomodations in Advocate Harbour - so book as soon as you can if you want to explore this area. You can check out the places to stay in Advocate Harbour in reviews here on tripadvisor also. If you cant get into Advocate, 35 minutes away is the town of Parrsboro with more options.

You can find out more about this area by going to Bay of Fundy Recommended Experiences site at www.bayoffundytourism.com where if you go to "things to do" and scroll to the bottom you will find the Advocate Harbour area. There are some wonderful accomodations in this area, from B&Bs to Chalets on the beach. Also some fantastic restaurants like the Wild Caraway. www.wildcaraway.com or at Cape d'Or and the Beach Cafe.

Another good site is www.centralnovascotia.com where you go to the Fundy region. On these sites you will probably notice some pictures of the kayaking opportunities, which is what I do here. Have a good trip up, hope to see you in this area.

Aim for Cape Breton first as it will be your farthest point. History, we have the telephone museum and air flight museum for Graham Bell, a miner's museum where you can go down a mine, a Fortress in Louisburg and even a Salmon museum in Margaree . Natural, well it's an island !! Photography, well National Geographic loves Cape Breton.

Take time to stop though, so have at least 3 days on the Island, you really should be here much longer.

Oh, fiddle music and whales and food too!! horse back ride on a beach with a guy who was on Mantracker !!

If you are interested in history, local culture, great "down home" hospitality, and undisputedly the best scenery in Nova Scotia, I would recommend highly a visit to Cape Breton Island. Cape Breton has two of Nova Scotia's biggets tourism icons - the historic Fortress of Louisbourg and the Cabot Trail.

The Fortress of Louisbourg is a french fortified town started in 1713, seiged twice by the Royal Navy and the New England colonists (many from New Hampshire and New Jersey) and then finally taken in 1758 and demolished in 1760. It is somewhat on the scale of Williamsburg and presents all aspects of a French Colonial town in 1745. Most of our B&B guests spend the entire day at the Fortress and cap off the night with the 2 hour show of local Cape Breton/Celtic music at the Louisbourg Playhouse.

The Cabot Trail is the scenic drive around the northern part of Cape Breton Island winding through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. If you want outdoor activities, northern Cape Breton is one of the best areas to visit. You can go whale watching out of Pleasant Bay, hike any of the numerous excellent trails throughout the Park, go sea kayaking and go on one of the puffin tours to Bird Island.

In addition to the two major icons, Cape Breton also has the Cape Breton Miner's Museum in Glace Bay, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck and the Highland Village in Iona. You can usually find local music or even a "ceilidh" almost any night of the week around the Island. Cape Breton provides the "full meal deal".

I agree that Cape Breton is full of natural spendor, you'll enjoy it there.

I think that between Hubbards and Peggy's Cove is one of the prettiest drives ever. If you take your time and go in the morning when the sun is rising, you'll love it. Take your time and see Black Point and Boutilier's Point. Then head towards Peggy's Cove and enjoy French Village and Seabright. Glen Margaret is the scene for many motion pictures because of it's beauty.

For historical significance you really should try and take in Annapolis Royal. There is also great scenery thereabout (check out Bear River - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_River,_Nova_Scotia) and the close proxinmity of Keji National Park rounds out your interests nicely. Have fun !

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Re: 1st time travelers to NS, love photography, have 10 yr old d

26 December 2009, 05:17

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